Falcons To Host St. Francis Friday As Part Of Two-Match Weekend

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University tennis program returns home this Friday (Feb. 21) for the first of two matches this weekend, playing host to St. Francis. From there, they will take to the road again to face Indianapolis on Sunday (Feb. 23). The match against St. Francis will take place at Perrysburg Tennis Center with a 1 p.m. first serve. As for Sunday in Indianapolis, that match will have a 4 p.m. first serve.

Last Time Out
The Falcons are coming off of a two-match road trip that spanned over two weeks concluding last Saturday (Feb. 15) against Louisville. In that match, Bowling Green fell short in a 6-1 final. The duo of Ioanna Tsadari and Yulia Kapitanova claimed a doubles win, but the Cardinals took the other two for the doubles point. In singles, Marta Bettinelli claimed the lone point of the day for the Falcons, sweeping through No. 6 singles for her first singles win of the season thus far.

Readying For The Red Flashes
Standing at 1-8, St. Francis is coming off their first win of the season, taking a 5-2 final against Mercyhurst last Saturday (Feb. 15). Prior to that, the Red Flashes had started out 0-8 in the spring, falling to common opponents Youngstown State and Cleveland State, both by scores of 6-1. The Falcons were victorious over both the Penguins and Vikings, winning 5-2 and 6-1, respectively. Bowling Green will be the first of two MAC opponents for St. Francis on the weekend as they will travel north on Saturday (Feb. 22) to face Toledo. This will also be the first meeting between the Falcons and Red Flashes.

Going Against The Greyhounds
The No. 4 ranked team in Division II women's tennis, the University of Indianapolis is off to a hot start in the spring, standing a 6-0 entering the weekend. Over their last two matches, the Greyhounds have defeated Washington (St. Louis) and Southwest Baptist, both via shutouts. In the spring, Indy hasn't allowed their opponent more than one point in a match so far. In singles, Nikol Alexeeva is currently 15-1 on the year, placing her as the second best singles player in the nation for Division II. As for doubles, Alexeeva is partnered with Anna Novikova, creating the third best duo in the nation at the D-II level. A year ago, the Falcons hosted the Greyhounds, falling in a 5-2 final.

Checking The Record Book
Beginning in singles play, Ayumi Sasaki has the opportunity to move up on the singles list. With two singles wins possible, Sasaki could jump up to a tie for 28th in program history for career singles wins, currently with 48. As for doubles, Marharita-Sophia Tavpash could take sole possession of seventh all-time, needing just one to break her current tie at 74 wins. With four total wins up for grabs on the weekend, Tavpash could also move on the all-time combined wins list. Now tied at 20th with 127 wins, she could move as high as tied for 16th, which would require all four wins possible.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' tennis team throughout the season on social media.
Twitter – @BGAthletics and @BGSUTennis
Instagram – 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuwtennis'
Facebook – 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube – 'Falcon Athletics'

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marta Bettinelli

Yulia Kapitanova

Ayumi Sasaki

Marharita-Sophia Tavpash

Ioanna Tsadari

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics